slath·er
| \ ˈsla-t͟hər
\
\
Definition of slather
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a great quantity
—often used in plural
slather
verb
slathered; slathering\
ˈsla-t͟hə-riŋ
, ˈslat͟h-riŋ
\
, ˈslat͟h-riŋ
\
Definition of slather (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: to use or spend in a wasteful or lavish manner : squander
2a
: to spread thickly or lavishly
slathered sunscreen on her skin
b
: to spread something thickly or lavishly on
slathered her skin with sunscreen
Examples of slather in a Sentence
Verb
We ate lobster slathered with butter.
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Enjoy the biscuits warm, with a slather of butter, served alongside some eggs or, for the ultimate leftover treat, break open a biscuit to build a slider-sized, but also superior, turkey sandwich.
—
Grant Melton, Bon Appétit, "Turn Leftover Mashed Potatoes Into Big Fluffy Biscuits," 27 Nov. 2020
The roll has a rival for my affection: slices of brioche, stacked Once Upon a Mattress-style on a plate with a rich slather of chicken liver pâté and precise dots of apricot jam.
—
Washington Post, "At Moon Rabbit, chef Kevin Tien lures fans to the Wharf," 20 Nov. 2020
Fortunately, a healthy slather of mayonnaise and mustard, plus a generous covering of American cheese, help balance things out.
—
Nick Kindelsperger, chicagotribune.com, "13 new sandwiches to take home today: How Chicago restaurants are cramming deliciousness between slices of bread to survive the pandemic economy," 30 Oct. 2020
The latter includes a shot of the dry rub that Salt Lick slathers on its briskets before smoking.
—
Paul Stephen, ExpressNews.com, "Salt Lick BBQ meets Delysia chocolates with delicious results in new candies," 26 Feb. 2020
For novices, don’t expect Texas-style chili con carne in a bowl; the Cincinnati version is more akin to a thick sauce to top spaghetti or slather on a hot dog.
—
Tribune News Service, cleveland, "Exploring Cincinnati’s culinary scene," 1 Dec. 2019
Moisturize your lips overnight Especially post-exfoliation, slather on a thick lip balm or petroleum jelly to absorb into your lips overnight.
—
Yerin Kim, Seventeen, "How to Get Kissable Lips," 23 Oct. 2019
To swatch, slather, and swipe all of the amazing (and, well, maybe not so great) products that cross our desks during testing season.
—
Allure, "The 26 Best Beauty Steals of 2019," 16 Sep. 2019
Or a slather of mayonnaise or sweet cream butter simply must be the coat for that cob of corn.
—
Bill St. John, The Denver Post, "Tips on complementing summer flavors in the kitchen," 23 July 2019
Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
In my small town elementary school, for example, the trend was to slather the square cafeteria pizza in ... apple sauce.
—
Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, "Internet Villain Runs Hot Pizza Under Water to Cool It Down: Science or Insanity?," 13 Jan. 2021
Camera traps set up around the nature reserve captured dozens of instances of the behavior, and temperature measurements recorded alongside the photographs showed that pandas tend to slather up when the temperature is around freezing.
—
Theresa Machemer, Smithsonian Magazine, "In Winter, Pandas Love to Roll in Horse Poop," 9 Dec. 2020
Devotees slather themselves in the therapeutic mud from an open-air pool, then jump in the sea to rinse it all off.
—
Nicky Swallow, Travel + Leisure, "10 Secret Islands in Italy That Have All of the Beauty and None of the Tourists," 11 Nov. 2020
When looking for lotions and creams to slather on, a combination of humectant, emollient, and occlusive ingredients make for the most effective moisturizers.
—
Lauren Valenti, Vogue, "A Guide to Managing Keratosis Pilaris This Season," 28 Nov. 2020
Simply slather the sticker with oil and then soak a rag in oil.
—
Kevin Dupzyk And Joseph Truini, Popular Mechanics, "How to Remove Sticker Residue From Any Surface," 24 Nov. 2020
Mix thick mud in a bucket and slather it on with a mop or paintbrush.
—
T. Edward Nickens, Field & Stream, "6 Hacks For Hiding Your Layout Blind," 11 Oct. 2017
Even if acids are only part of your nighttime routine, your skin is still extra-susceptible the next morning — so slather up.
—
Julie Ricevuto, Allure, "The Science of Beauty: Acids for Skin Care Ingredient Guide," 19 Nov. 2020
Before bed, her mom would slather on a layer of Weleda Skin Food, Vaseline, or Johnson's Baby Oil, a ritual that Lee continues.
—
Jessica Cruel, Allure, "Precious Lee: "Plus Is Extra. I'm Going to Go Extra Hard."," 17 Sep. 2020
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'slather.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Learn More about slather
Dictionary Entries near slather
See More Nearby EntriesStatistics for slather
Look-up Popularity
Cite this Entry
“Slather.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slather. Accessed 3 Mar. 2021.
Style: MLA
MLA
Chicago
APA
Merriam-Webster
Chicago
APA
Merriam-Webster
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on slather
What made you want to look up slather? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
February 2021 Words of the Day Quiz
-
- Which is a synonym of perdure?
Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!
TAKE THE QUIZ
Spell words. Make bears.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Share slather
Time Traveler for slather
The first known use of slather was in 1843
See more words from the same year